Aston On Clun. A forgotten Great Western outpost.

[Nick C]

2 hours ago, MrWolf said:

I did a bit of hunting around and came across this site, there's so much for the railway modeller on here, not just vehicles:

 

http://www.johndaymodels.co.uk/john-day-models/

He's got an ebay shop too: https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/daryletoneymodels, though with only a few of the kits on at the moment.

[MrWolf]

A little job that has needed doing ever since we moved house is to repair the damage to the water tower. The operating chain and level indicator got snapped off.

 

 

It did give me chance to mark the gradation with a 0.1mm marker and remind me that the ground on the far side of the point rodding needs finishing off. The tank definitely needs a little weathering and some dings in the paint at the high water mark. I've just made and painted the tethering post for the water crane, so that will be going in at the same time as the fire devil.

 

 

Every time I have taken a photo in the goods yard since last May, I've moved those chairs and the fire devil out of the way.

I have no idea why it's taken so long to refit them!

[MrWolf]

Back to the garage, I've made a start on the interior, (pictures to follow) added a few bits outside and this is a mock up of the final arrangement.

 

[Gypsy]

Looking very good. Can I ask where the chain is from?!

[Limpley Stoker]

That’s spiffing !  Don’t forget the wall calendar.

 

The underground fuel tanks had ventilation pipes above ground close to the pumps in those days as can be seen on the corner of this garage. Today they have to be at a safe distance ( from cellphones not smokers so much)

.

 

Edited January 30, 2023 by Limpley Stoker
Source : The Telegraph : history of uk garages

[MrWolf]

18 minutes ago, Limpley Stoker said:

That’s spiffing !  Don’t forget the wall calendar.

 

The underground fuel tanks had ventilation pipes above ground close to the pumps in those days as can be seen on the corner of this garage. Today they have to be at a safe distance ( from cellphones not smokers so much)

.

 

 

Thanks for the reminder, on the garage mine is based on, the vents were 1" BSP and went up the left hand post of that wooden overhang. I'll find some wire and make some up.

Calendar needs to go on the wall by the counter flap I think!

[Donw]

On 23/01/2023 at 04:14, MrWolf said:

 

 

You both beat me to it there and perhaps I should have captioned my original picture better. I'd been trying out different configurations of where and how to dump the two cars and it was something that the Pen Y Bryn layout by @phil.c, reminded me that at one time there were cars dumped all over the place, especially in the country.

There will be weeds and other clutter applied before the cars are fixed down and I will probably need a bit of a fence behind them.

 

As I find I have been carefully eased out of bed at 4am by someone trying to be a human starfish, I might just make a brew and have a look at the job before breakfast.

 

Anyone reading who hasn't had a look at Pen y Bryn really should be doing.

 

 

 

We bought an old cottage in the70s roof falling in no drainage. When we got round to clearing the garden at the bottom, under the brambles and weed was a car roof with the rest of the car underneath it. someone must of dug a big hole and driven it in. 

nice work on the wrecks.

 

Don

[Winslow Boy]

1 hour ago, Limpley Stoker said:

That’s spiffing !  Don’t forget the wall calendar.

 

The underground fuel tanks had ventilation pipes above ground close to the pumps in those days as can be seen on the corner of this garage. Today they have to be at a safe distance ( from cellphones not smokers so much)

.

 

 

Well it was a relatively 'new' industry and they were still learning. Plus of course people had more common about them and when someone said put that CIG out our you'll get blown up it meant something. Unlike nowadays when the kids shoot some one they think there going to be alright half an hour later.

[MrWolf]

Benches, shelves and crates with who knows what in.

 

 

Machine shop is awaiting the installation of a line shaft and belts. Plus an aerial view of the junk heap.

 

 

[Graham T]

Lovely.  CR Mk II may feature a garage; if so then I'll be shamelessly plagiarising your ideas von W!

 

[The Stationmaster]

Every time I see the front of your buolding it reminds me of this one on the B3400 between Hurstborne Priors and Andover.  This main shed hasn't changed much in over 40 years although it ceased to be a garage many years ago.  There used to be two old fashioned petrol pumps out at the front of the building and presumably some sort of workshop inside as well as there often being a vehicle or two on the patch of bare ground you see this side of it.  And, of course, various enamel signs.  

 

Even back in the 1960s it looked distinctly out of its natural time - possibly a throwback to  pre-war days and it has always been painted green; was green a 'required' colour scheme for buildings at small country garages I wonder  Whoever owns it now seems yo maintain the building in good condition - hence the corrugated iron roofing is long gone - but there's no indication of what it is now used for.

 

It;'s a landmark I've always looked out for on my journeys down to the south west (in my book that B road is distinctly preferable to the M4/M5when heading for much of the West of England - and, over that stretch, just as fast as the motorway when it's quiet.

 

Ooops forgot to add the pic, sorry -

 

Edited February 2, 2023 by The Stationmaster

[MrWolf]

21 hours ago, Gypsy said:

Looking very good. Can I ask where the chain is from?!

 

Thank you, it's not the first time I had to repair it! The chain is actually a flat etch that comes as a part of the Ratio GWR water tower kit. 

I'm not sure if Rob, @NHY 581, didn't find some very fine chain with actual links for one of his projects.

[MrWolf]

5 hours ago, Graham T said:

Lovely.  CR Mk II may feature a garage; if so then I'll be shamelessly plagiarising your ideas von W!

 

 

Go ahead, it's something of a tradition for rural layouts, I pinched the idea of a model garage off some bloke called John Ahern...

[NHY 581]

3 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

Thank you, it's not the first time I had to repair it! The chain is actually a flat etch that comes as a part of the Ratio GWR water tower kit. 

I'm not sure if Rob, @NHY 581, didn't find some very fine chain with actual links for one of his projects.

 

 

I did. It was for the water tower on Sheep Dip. I used a length of a broken fine necklace, gold plate. Obviously weathered to within an inch of it's life. 

 

Rob. 

[MrWolf]

Adapt. Improvise. Overcome.

 

Nice.

[chuffinghell]

4 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

Thank you, it's not the first time I had to repair it! The chain is actually a flat etch that comes as a part of the Ratio GWR water tower kit. 

I'm not sure if Rob, @NHY 581, didn't find some very fine chain with actual links for one of his projects.

I’ve actually got the full set of etched brass for this kit because I didn’t use it

 

so if you want it let me know

 

I used ultra fine chain (40 links per inch) from Langley

 

 

 

 

Edited January 31, 2023 by chuffinghell
Photo added

[Winslow Boy]

56 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

Adapt. Improvise. Overcome.

 

Nice.

 

Or acquire, 'inch and overcoat as we used to say at the reform sorry 'special' school.

Edited January 31, 2023 by Winslow Boy

[MrWolf]

That was a second cousin's approach to expensive sports cars. Pinch it, paint it, punt it. 

He got six years.

[MrWolf]

2 hours ago, chuffinghell said:

I’ve actually got the full set of etched brass for this kit because I didn’t use it

 

so if you want it let me know

 

I used ultra fine chain (40 links per inch) from Langley

 

 

 

 

 

That might be just the thing to lash my sleeper wagon and all those Macaw flats full of logs. 

 

 

[Gypsy]

Thanks very much Rob & Rob @NHY 581 @MrWolf

 

...and thanks very much for the offer Chris @chuffinghell - hang fire for a bit but I might take you up on that, I've got a water tower to scratch build for Port St Nick, but given the weather there, its going to be based on one of the insulated Canadian Pacific ones. I've aquired a cheap HO kit off the bay of fleas for the north American spout mechanism but it hasn't arrived yet so I'm not sure if a. its suitable or b. how much chain I will actually need.

 

Sorry to derail your thread von Wolf, I'll get back in my box now...

[Gypsy]

Hamdulillah for the post office, the Atlas kit has arrived.

 

I reckon I need about 250mm of chain to be safe - more details on my layout thread...

 

One last question for you lot - prehistoric decals - I suspect this kit is nearly as old as me but the gauge looks pretty good - how to use???

 

Sorry. Really am back off to my box now...

 

 

[Limpley Stoker]

Now Aston on Clun Motor Services nears completion in all its splendour, may I venture to enquire if the 530 project has been consigned to the ‘ too difficult’ box ?  I have about eight of those at the moment

[MrWolf]

9 hours ago, Gypsy said:

Thanks very much Rob & Rob @NHY 581 @MrWolf

 

...and thanks very much for the offer Chris @chuffinghell - hang fire for a bit but I might take you up on that, I've got a water tower to scratch build for Port St Nick.

 

Sorry to derail your thread von Wolf, I'll get back in my box now...

 

 

"Bu99er!" Said Duck. "It's happened again! Give it half an hour and it'll be all over the Island of Sodor as a "teachable moment " for the goody two shoes brigade....."

 

( From "I told you that would happen" by the Reverend W. Awdry.) 

 

 

 

Edited February 1, 2023 by MrWolf

[MrWolf]

3 hours ago, Limpley Stoker said:

Now Aston on Clun Motor Services nears completion in all its splendour, may I venture to enquire if the 530 project has been consigned to the ‘ too difficult’ box ?  I have about eight of those at the moment

 

Definitely not, it was just that the garage was begun round about the first lockdown!

 

530 is sitting in the goods siding across from the garage. I keep forgetting to order some early type sand boxes for it, but it's going to be started again soon. 

I have five other locos to build, six if I don't manage to be just a spectator on the Metro tank thread that's drawn just about every other GWR fan in around here.

 

I'm going to have to draw up a list. There's not so much a too hard pile, more a not as  much fun pile!

[MrWolf]

It'd just like to point out that the overturned pannier shown earlier is the busted early Bachmann I got the other week, serving as a stunt pannier. The rest of the pile up is from the "to do" list.

Last weekend we went to Kendal exhibition and I managed not to buy lots of junk, or expensive new 4-6-0s either. I bought a few books and an extremely cheap, boxed as new Oxford Toad with steel plated verandah. That's four I have now, two wood, one steel and the six wheeler.

I've decided that I will have a mad fit and do the modification / reworking of the fu fu faults as a sort of production line. 

Otherwise I think that it will be a real drag to do.

 

The fire alarms went off about twelve o'clock and we all had to pile outside, but I did manage to grab a few shots of an old layout I thought had long since gone for firewood, but it's been rebuilt with code 75 track.

Because we were stuck in the car park, I didn't get chance for close ups though before we had to go and meet up with the memsahib and my friend's eldest daughter who were on a secondhand shop mission around town.

 

 

 

 

 

Burford is just the kind of thing that Inspired me as a child and that I thought at the time might be achievable with not much room and few funds. Aston really is an extension of that idea and why I like to include items from thirty and forty years ago.